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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mug — a face
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a ring
  8. staff — employees
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mug — to rob
  12. march — music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. scale — size or range
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. staff — employees
  18. mug — a cup
  19. scale — in music
  20. march — the month
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a music group
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com